Evangeline
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Cedric and Wormwood are completely floored when Sofia introduces them to a kind yet frail girl named Evangeline, who wants nothing more than to meet a real sorcerer before her days are at an end. (Warning: Much sadder than my other Wassailia stories.)


Evangeline

Summary: Cedric and Wormwood are completely floored when Sofia introduces them to a kind yet frail girl named Evangeline, who wants nothing more than to meet a real sorcerer before her days are at an end.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Sofia the First_. I only own Evangeline.

A/N: So, the original story for today was going to be "Wassailia Waltz," but I found it really difficult to write for the story since I had no original ideas, so it's now up for adoption on my Wix page if anyone would like to give it a go. Instead, I actually read a story online the other night about a frail little girl with a unique situation, and it inspired me… Therefore, I give you Evangeline. 😊I know I'm trying to stay as upbeat with the season as I can, but I felt the need to write this, so I hope you enjoy.

*Story*

"You've been staring at that page for an hour now," Wormwood remarked to Cedric, who blinked sleepily toward him. "Why don't you just call it a day and go to bed already?"

"I promised Sofia I would help her with something," the sorcerer replied with a yawn. "She wouldn't tell me what that 'something' was, but…"

"Whatever the princess wants, right?" The raven made a shrugging motion before yawning himself. "Whatever you want to do, Cedric. Don't let me stop you. But so help me, if you fall asleep pouring a potion, I am _not_ helping clean it up."

Cedric laughed. "I'm not as sleepy as all that, Wormwood. I can manage." He glanced up as he heard the familiar knock fall upon his door. "Now be good. And no sarcastic remarks."

" _Me_?" Wormwood gasped and held a wing to his chest in feigned offense. "Cedric, I wouldn't _dream_ of it."

Cedric rolled his eyes and opened his door. "Sofia, I—" He was quickly silenced as his eyes caught sight of yet another young girl standing behind his apprentice. Finding his voice again, he asked, "Um…who is this?"

Sofia smiled in understanding before gently leading the girl forward so that she could introduce them. "Mr. Cedric, this is Evangeline."

The girl in question was a few inches shorter than Sofia, but aside from that she appeared quite frail. Her skin was pale with curious marks and abrasions lining her hands and neck. Her eyes had dark circles beneath them, and her light purple irises seemed somewhat dimmer than one might expect. Her light brown hair, which was somewhat thin and limp, was held up in a makeshift ponytail and allowed to rest against her shoulder. She was dressed in black leggings and clearly aged boots, and over that was a black dress with a deep maroon skirt. Lastly, she had a dark choker fastened around her neck.

Cedric, for once, was speechless. Even Wormwood didn't make a sound. Really, what could they say?

Sofia frowned in concern before tugging Cedric's sleeve, getting his attention. She gave him a look before furtively glancing toward the other girl, as if passing him a quiet message.

"Oh! W-Well, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Evangeline." He offered the visitor a smile, which he noticed her returning with a bit of difficulty. "Oh, you must both be rather cold here in the stairwell. Come. My workshop is much warmer." He led them inside, shutting the door behind him.

Wormwood watched the scene, not fully understanding the situation at hand. Who was this girl? Why did Sofia bring her there? Why was she so…fragile-looking? Not that he _cared_ , of course, since he didn't even know the child. Still, he couldn't help feeling curious.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to meet you, Mr. Cedric," Evangeline said finally, her voice as soft and fragile-sounding as the rest of her appeared. It almost broke the sorcerer's heart just hearing her. "Sofia has told me many wonderful things about you."

"Oh, well, thank you… Wait, you wanted to meet _me_?" His brown eyes widened considerably. "Not that I'm not honored to hear such a thing, but why on earth would you want to meet me?"

Sofia took over since it appeared the other girl seemed a little weary. "Mr. Cedric, do you have any tea or something for Evangeline to sip on? We need to talk."

"Oh, yes, certainly." He rolled his stool over and gestured for the young girl to sit down, which she did. He then conjured her a steaming cup of tea before passing it to her. "I hope you like chamomile."

Evangeline smiled appreciatively. "It's my favorite."

"We'll be right back." Sofia smiled at the girl and grabbed Cedric's hand, pulling him away from the workshop and into his bedroom as Wormwood flew after them. She shut the door as Cedric stood, baffled as to her actions. "You may want to sit down."

"Nothing good ever begins with those words," Cedric responded with a frown. He folded his arms yet followed her instructions, sitting on the bed as she took a seat next to him. "She is quite ill," he observed, not having to even bother with asking.

"Yeah…more than you realize." Sofia glanced down at her hands and heaved a sigh. "She's dying, Mr. Cedric."

Wormwood's breath caught in his throat, a reaction he certainly hadn't expected. From his place atop Cedric's dresser, he watched his master and the princess.

"How long until…?" It was hard to ask about a _child's_ impending demise, so he opted to leave the question open-ended so that his friend could respond accordingly.

"A few months, according to her doctors," the girl said softly with a sigh. She glanced toward the raven, who seemed rather perplexed, before she looked back at her mentor. "She wanted, more than anything, to meet a real sorcerer before it was…too late for her to do so. Her father was a magician when she was growing up, and it made her love magic. When I met her during a recent village-related event, I told her all about you…"

"Oh, my… Well…" He cleared his throat before inhaling deeply. He then sighed and nodded, though he could already tell his eyes felt a bit heavier now, and it wasn't due to tiredness. "Let's give this little one the best magical experience we can then. She deserves at least that."

Sofia smiled thankfully before hugging him, his right arm encircling her in response. "Thank you, Mr. Cedric." She watched as he stood and walked back into the workshop, shutting the door quietly behind him, and she was about to follow him when she heard a rather surprising sound. She glanced to the dresser, noticing the raven attempting to hide his visage from her. "Wormwood?"

Wormwood turned completely away from her, a deep frown on his face and his feathers becoming damp from… He scoffed inwardly. This was absurd. He didn't _cry_. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried…if he ever had. He was startled when he felt a gentle hand caressing his feathers, and he sighed heavily. "I cannot believe you," he finally spoke, his voice thick with emotion. "How could you do this…?"

"What's wrong?" Sofia asked softly, carefully scooping the visibly shaken raven into her arms. She frowned. "Wormwood? Why are you crying?"

"I hate this!" He glared at her. " _You_ started all of this! You and your goody-goody emotions and _feelings_ and do-the-right-thing…ness!"

Sofia was baffled, but she didn't take anything he said to heart. He was obviously upset by what he'd seen, and she couldn't blame him. It was hard to take in. She sat on Cedric's bed and placed the raven on the covers before doing something she never thought she'd do: she picked up the outer layer of her dress and gently wiped Wormwood's tears away, until his feathers were dry again. She gave him a calm smile. "There's nothing wrong with having a heart, you know."

"But I'm Wormwood! I'm supposed to be strong!"

"The strongest people _and_ animals are the ones who aren't afraid to show that even _they_ get emotional sometimes… It's stupid to think that only the weak cry. It's okay to be upset, Wormwood, but don't beat yourself up over something you can't control."

" _Why_ is she dying?" he demanded with a scowl. "Tell me that."

"She's been sick for a long time. Her body just…became weaker, I guess… It's nothing she did, and it's no one's fault. It's just the way it is." She smiled sadly. "Believe it or not, she actually has a really good attitude about everything. She looks on the bright side."

"Sounds like a peculiar princess I know," he responded, finally getting around to his sarcastic self again, making Sofia giggle a bit. "Will she at least see Wassailia?"

"Yes. A few months, remember? And who knows? Amazing things happen all the time… Maybe she'll beat whatever illness is inside of her."

"It must be nice to have hope like that, Princess Sofia," Wormwood told her sincerely. "I wish I could think the way you do sometimes…" He blinked in surprise when she kissed his head. "What was that for?"

"You surprised me today, Wormwood… It turns out you're not this mean, grumpy, angry bird you like to pretend to be. You actually _do_ have a heart."

"Of course I do. I can't exactly live without _all_ of my vital organs." He smirked as she giggled. "Thank you, Princess. Between you and me…helpless creatures are sort of my weakness, so when I saw that girl…"

"You wanted to save her. I know." She shrugged. "I guess we're not so different after all." She smiled as he flew onto her shoulder. "Let's go check on Mr. Cedric and Evangeline."

"Um, Sofia…"

"What happened here…stays between us," she told him kindly, winking and earning a genuine smile from him as they walked back into the workshop.

"…And that's how you create a hologram," Cedric explained to the young girl before him, who was watching his magic display in fascination.

"Wow," Evangeline breathed as she observed the transparent visual before her. "How amazing!"

"You guys having fun?" Sofia asked as she approached Cedric, who gave her a curious look. She smiled and winked, indicating they'd talk later.

"Sofia, your Mr. Cedric is amazing," the shorter girl said and smiled though with obvious difficulty. She'd grown used to her limitations though and fought through them. "He showed me all sorts of spells and magical items. I didn't even know there were flying cupcakes!"

The princess giggled. "He _would_ show those off… They're his favorite treats." She lowered Wormwood to the table before her and smiled as he glanced toward the other girl before looking back at her. She nodded once, silently encouraging him.

Wormwood took a moment to himself before flying up to land on Evangeline's shoulder, gently brushing his wing against her cheek.

While Cedric was surprised at this rare display of affection, Sofia just smiled.

"Aw, what a beautiful raven. What is his name?"

"That's Wormwood," Sofia responded, since Cedric was obviously too shocked to do so. "He's Mr. Cedric's raven. They do everything together."

"I admire ravens. They're so majestic and mysterious, but they're known for being strong birds. If I could be any animal, I'd definitely be a raven."

Wormwood smiled proudly and cawed once before taking off and landing on his perch. _That_ pretty much made his year.

A little while later, a guard came to collect Evangeline to take her back to her home. Before leaving, she carefully hugged both Cedric and Sofia, thanking them profusely for allowing her the opportunity to do something she'd always hoped to do.

She then glanced toward Wormwood. "It was an honor meeting you, Wormwood." She gently caressed his feathers before smiling and accepting the guard's offered arm, urging her body to cooperate as she finally headed home.

"…That was really rough," Cedric admitted as he sat down, his hands brushing through his hair. "I feel horrible for her. She has so much life, yet she's cursed with such a short one."

"Maybe she can beat the illness," Wormwood suggested, his words echoing Sofia's from earlier. "Maybe there's still…hope?"

The sorcerer gaped at the raven. "All right. Who are you and what have you done with Wormy?"

"I'm serious, Cedric! Science and magic can do lots of things now, more so than they used to be able to do. Giving up on Evangeline is like giving up on possibilities. Sure, the odds are not in her favor, but it's not fair to write her off as an impossible situation."

Cedric smiled at his familiar. "I agree… Perhaps there's hope for her yet." He chuckled. "Though you were probably the _last_ one I expected to hear say those words."

"Good. Then I'm a shining example that _nothing_ is impossible." With that, he took off out the open window to clear his mind.

"I'm not sure what's gotten into him," Cedric told Sofia as he looked toward her, "but…I'm somewhat impressed, to be honest."

She smiled. "Wormwood is full of surprises, Mr. Cedric, just like you." She grasped his hand in a friendly manner. "Thank you for giving Evangeline some of your time. No matter what happens, I know she'll always remember that."

"You're quite welcome…and in a way, I suppose she actually gave me a Wassailia gift I never knew I needed." He smiled gently as the princess offered him an inquiring look. "I'm humbled…and very thankful for what I _have_. It could be much worse, when I think about it… Incredibly worse."

Sofia hugged him again. "You're the best, Mr. Cedric."

He chuckled softly and returned the hug. "Thank you, Sofia. So are you…"

The end

(Ending Note: If you all would like to see one, I _can_ make a follow-up to Evangeline's character sometime next year. 😊 Just let me know if you're interested in seeing her again. I'm going to leave it open and up for interpretation otherwise, because like Sofia said, life can surprise us sometimes and _anything_ can happen. 😉 Hope you enjoyed. A MUCH happier/literally fluffier story is on the queue for tomorrow! Have a great day! ~AquaTurquoise)


End file.
